The most important Franciscan church in Florence is Santa Croce. Inside its impressive walls, this basilica houses a variety of monumental tombs, some of which are masterpieces of Italian Sculpture.
They range from the Renaissance to the XIX century and remind us of those commemorated in the “Temple of Italic Glories” (Tempio delle Itale Glorie). Here are the sepulchres of Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Niccolò Machiavelli and Gioacchino Rossini.
More famous still are the fresco cycles by Giotto and his school. They tell the stories of St. Francis, of the Virgin, and the Legend of the True Cross.
For Mediaeval people, often illiterate, this was one of the ways they could learn about the Faith and even if now we can read and write, these are still relevant today.
A great variety of works of art are situated in the church and museum of Santa Croce, making the visit even more interesting, since most of the pieces are still in loco – in the places for which they were created.
Basilica of Santa Croce, façade
Some useful tips:
- The church of Santa Croce is not so crowded as Uffizi or Accademia Galleries, the lines usually are not longer that 5-10 minutes. It is not necessary to book the tickets in advance, but it is possible to book, if you wish.
- Usually this is half-day guided tour – 3 hours, standard rate 165.00 euros. The tour can be tailored to fit your needs, with time frame from minimum 2 to 4-5 hours.
- On Sundays the church is open only during the afternoon.
- Dress-code to visit the church: just covered shoulders and knees. Visitors wearing mini-skirts or shorts are not admitted, but it is not necessary to cover your head.
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